Florida Sports Wires

By MIKE MCCALL ArmadaFC.com Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Tied in stoppage time against the defending North American Soccer League champions San Antonio Scorpions, Jacksonville Armada substitute Akeil Barrett juked a defender and played a through-ball to forward Alhassane Keita in the penalty area. Moving to his left, Keita cut a shot back across goal into the side netting, and the crowd of 8,143 launched into pandemonium - a deserving release of energy after a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle. The win - sealed by goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo's acrobatic save moments later - kept the Armada a perfect 2-0 at home and snapped a two-game losing streak that had been weighing heavily on the team after their road trip. "Some of my friends were telling me, 'Keita, today you are not even laughing. You look angry.' I'm thinking about the game because I want my three points," Keita said. "I'm excited because this is what I really wanted tonight. It's ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- University of South Carolina All-American offensive guard A.J. Cann was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the third pick in the third round, the 67th pick overall, in the 2015 NFL Draft on Friday. Cann, a 6-4, 311-pounder from Bamberg, S.C., was named first-team All-America by Sporting News, ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com, was a second-team All-American by Walter Camp, Associated Press and Sports Illustrated, and was a third-team selection by College Sports Madness as a senior.  He earned first team All-SEC honors by the coaches and ESPN.com and was a second-team pick by the AP. A four-year starter at left guard, Cann made 51 starts, the second-most in school history behind only T.J. Johnson (53). The two-year captain was a three-time member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. Cann becomes the 101st player coached by Steve Spurrier to be selected in the NFL Draft, more than any other current head coach.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new North American Soccer League club, announced today the signing of 16-year-old Canadian forward Chaim Roserie, pending ITC clearance approval. The prodigy from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, spent his youth career playing at the Mississauga Falcons and West Toronto Cobras, considered to be some of Canada's most elite clubs. He also trained at the AC Milan Training Camp in 2008 and 2009. Roserie was also named Most Valuable Player of his school's team, St. Joan of Arc Secondary School, in 2010 and 2011.  "Chaim Roserie is a tremendous young prospect for our club," said Armada FC general manager Dario Sala. "He has a great amount of potential, and we look forward to seeing him develop and working to become a fixture in our lineup in the future." At 16 years, seven months and 21 days, Roserie is the second-youngest player to sign with an NASL club in the modern era. FC Edmonton midfielder Hanson B...

By MIKE BONTS FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE With the 2nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Dante Fowler, defensive end from Florida. "I'm excited about this moment, as I'm just living it up right now," said Fowler following his selection. "All my hard work has paid off, but I still have a lot of great things to do. I'm just very blessed." Fowler is the 47th Gator drafted all-time in the first round and tied him for the highest a Gator was picked since the 1966 NFL-AFL merger. UF has had 12 defensive lineman in the selected in the first round since 1989, which is most of any school over that span. "Dante is the most gifted edge-rusher in this draft class," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock following the selection. "He's 261 pounds, he's got a freaky first step and he also sets a physical edge in the run game." ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. echoed those comments and said, "Dante is mild-mannered ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Billy Donovan has stepped down as head coach of the Florida men's basketball team to take the same position with the Oklahoma City Thunder, director of athletics Jeremy Foley announced on Thursday. Donovan leaves Florida after 19 seasons leading the men's basketball program to unprecedented levels of success, winning two national championships, reaching four Final Fours and claiming six SEC titles, posting a 467-186 (.715) record with the Gators. "While we are certainly extremely sad to see Billy go, the primary feeling I have is one of gratitude for what he has done here at Florida," Foley said. "Billy and Florida basketball have been synonymous for a long time now, and our program would not have reached the heights it has without him. The legacy he leaves here is one of personal and professional excellence, and we wish him, Christine and the Donovan family continued success and happiness as they make this move. There is no better person...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Sharks will play the first of two consecutive road games this weekend, as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Storm in a South Division matchup on Saturday, May 2. Kickoff from Amalie Arena in Tampa is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be streamed live via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app for mobile devices. This is the first of three matchups between these divisional foes this season, as Jacksonville (1-4) returns to Tampa on June 12, while Tampa Bay (2-3) will make the trip up to Sea Best Field on July 18. The Sharks hold an 8-2 edge in the all-time regular season series, though the Storm did win the teams’ most recent matchup in Week 11 of the 2014 season. The Sharks enter this week’s action in search of their second consecutive win after handling the Las Vegas Outlaws to the tune of a 60-28 victory last Friday night. In that game, the Sharks avoided a number of pitfalls that had hurt the team during the first four weeks of the season, as the ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (9-9) defeated the Birmingham Barons (8-10) after plating the go-ahead run in the eighth to win by a 6-5 score and win the series Tuesday night from Bragan Field. Suns reliever Craig Stem (W, 1-0) earned the victory in 1 and 2/3 innings of work allowing no runs on two hits including the game-tying two-run triple to Marcus Lemon, in which the runs were charged to starter Chipper Smith. Barons reliever Kyle Hansen (L, 0-1) took the loss after manufacturing three innings surrendering the go-ahead run in the eighth while not walking a batter and striking out three. The scoring began in the bottom of the first for the Suns after a pair of walks to start the inning, would soon be followed by Matt Juengel’s RBI fielder’s choice, then by Ryan Rieger’s two-run double, leaping Jacksonville to a 3-0 scoreboard advantage. Moving to the second Birmingham crept closer with a solo run driven in courtesy of a Danny Hayes RBI double to get his team on t...